Identity Crisis
by Shoot4it24
Summary: Taking place after Oblivio, Marinette starts having dreams of the encounter of Obilvo and what transpires during that time. She begins suspecting Adrien of being Chat Noir. Will she figure it out or remain oblivious? What will Chat do when Ladybug starts suspecting him?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**

**Hey guys!**

**Hehe, I could not resist such a set up once it was on my mind. There's so much to do for this fanfic. Endless possibilities! Anyways follow till your heart's content and comments are appreciated. Would love ideas for how to develop this further.**

**Memories/Dreams: in **_italics_

**Thanks for reading!**

_"We need to find a way out of this building!" Marinette exclaims while looking around the bathroom cubicle in panic. Adrien was next to her and so were two _kwami's_. One being her own and the other she recognizes as Chat Noirs._

_She glances over at Adrien and he nods, "And we will."_

_Reaching for the handle of the door, their hands collide together over the lock. Glancing at each other briefly, they both blush with identical expressions. Before either of them could say anything; the sound of a door breaking down behind theirs could be heard. Pulling away from their hands, she releases a surprised gasp._

_"What do we-" Adrien begins to speak, but she places a finger over his lips with a hushing noise. Both standing still, the sound of doors being shoved open could be heard and it was coming closer to their cubicle._

_Marinette looks around for a way out. She spots a vent on the wall and shakes Adrien's shoulder to get his attention. Taking the screen down, they both climb onto the toilet and hoist themselves up into the vent. Her and Adrien crawl through the vent, trying not to make too much racket. The _kwami's_ were floating ahead of them._

_"We will get you." the attacker's voice ricocheted off the walls of the vent. She hoped whatever it was doesn't get them._

_"Wow, Marinette. You seem like someone who has the right idea at the right time." Adrien comments with an almost proud smile._

_She gulps nervously, "I hope your right."_

_She motions for them to keep crawling. It didn't take long to come across the exit of the vent. Adrien goes in front of her and grasps it, pushing it out. He looks in both directions just in case the attacker was there. Seeing no sign of it, he moves the vent bars against the wall below them and hops down with a small grunt._

_Marinette moves into a sitting position as he did at first to jump from the opening. He turned around and smiled while holding his arms out to catch her. She pushes herself off with a shriek. Ending up falling on top of him and managing to fall on the floor. She lies there for a couple of seconds processing what just happened with wide eyes. Did she just fall on him? She could feel his hands holding her arms._

_Finally processing that she really did fall on him, she leaps backward with a yelp. He let out his own surprised sound. Readying herself up for an apology, she ends up saying it in sync with his own apology. She realizes this and begins to laugh, and he mimics her._

Marinette lets out a sharp gasp as she flies up from her bed. She woke up to the sensation of falling from her dream. She lets out a relaxed sigh as she could not spot any danger. Was that a dream? It felt so real.

"Marinette?" she hears Tikki mumble besides her. "Are you okay?"

She blinks for a second, but quickly panics, "Tikki, what happened?!" Marinette grabs her, terrified at what she saw in her dream. "Why was Adrien and Chat Noir's kwami in my dream!? Then, then, I fell on top of him! It was so embarrassing. We touched hands too and he blushed!" she rambles dumbfounded and in disbelief.

All the while, Tikki's eyes grew bigger with every word that came out of her owner's mouth. She gulps nervously, "I have no idea, Marinette. It was only a dream! You need to calm down."

She follows her kwamis advice and takes a couple of deep breathes. She slowly calms down, "It felt so real though. It's just I don't remember this ever happening. Do you, Tikki?

The kwami shakes her head, "No. It was just a dream. Don't worry about it."

Marinette nods slowly, but still confused. The only question that remained in her mind is why on earth Char Noir's kwami was in it. Unless...no there's no way. She lets out a breathless laugh at her thought. There's no way Adrien is Chat Noir. Though her mind seems to whisper, why was it there then? She shakes her head at the thought and tries to convince herself it was just a dream.

Chat Noir and Adrien are nothing alike. It's almost impossible that they're the same person. Though, they have the same color of hair and eyes...her thoughts trail off. She lets out a frustrated sound and tries to chase away her thoughts. It wasn't real and with that final note, she glances at the clock. It was almost time for her to get up for school.

She lets out an annoyed groan and climbs her way down the bed. The dream was so vivid that her mom had to call her name multiple times to get her attention throughout the morning. Her mind kept drifting to the dream, she could not help it. She makes her way to school, nervous about seeing Adrien. Usually, she was ecstatic at the thought of seeing him in class.

Now, it felt weird that she felt like she did not want to because of him. Frowning slightly in thought, she marches her way up the stairs and waving at whoever greeted her on the way in. Alya found her eventually and started talking the Lady Blog; she listened to her friend gush about it. Both of them make their way to their classroom side by side.

Marinette was trying her hardest to pay attention, but the thought of seeing Adrien increased her anxiety. Before they walk in, Marinette stops Alya for a second and peeks into the classroom for any sign of Adrien. It seemed he was not there yet, and she let out a relieved sigh.

"Uh, why exactly are we lurking outside our classroom?" Alya asks with a confused quirked eyebrow.

"Oh, no reason...Come on!" Marinette grabs Alya's hand and dives into the classroom. She paces with her friend over to their assigned seat. She set down her school bag and sits while staring at the door waiting for Adrien to walk through.

"Are you okay girl?" Alya asks in concern and slight suspicion of Marinette's behavior. "You've been a bit distracted all morning."

"Yeah yeah, just fine." Marinette claims still staring intensely at the doorway.

Alya shrugs it off for typical weird Marinette behavior and pulls out her school materials. Around five minutes later, Adrien walks in while talking to Nino. Marinette could not help but stare at him and he seemed to notice someone was. He looks up and saw it was her. He flashes her a friendly smile but then turns his back on her while sitting down in his seat. She flashed her own strained smile before he turned, but he seemed to not notice.

With a sigh, she pulls out her notebook as the morning bell goes off. She really needed to stop, or she is going to be labeled as a weirdo by him. Images of the dream spring up and she blushes remembering him touching her hand and falling on him.

"If only...", she mutters under her breath. She lifts her gaze to his back with a pout. She doubts she will ever get that close to him.

Marinette notices his ring as he writes what the teacher lectures. She has seen it before, but now she has suspicions of him being Chat which she doubts incredibly. She could not help, but wonder; the ring looks like Chat's and on the same hand, the main difference it being black and the lack of pawprints. The doubt was eating at her, but the dream made it seem like it could be true. Perhaps, she should ask Chat next time she meets him? Of course, she would have to do it carefully.

Her evidence was quite scattered which feeds her more doubt. If Adrien really was Chat, she's not even sure how she would react. Would it be a dream or a nightmare? That would mean him being Chat would mean he's liked her this whole time without even knowing. That sent butterflies to her stomach at the thought of him being in love with _her. _Though, that would mean they would know each other's secret identities. She will have to tread carefully from this point on with her suspicions.

Before she knows it, the school rings again. Signifying it was time for lunch break. Her and Alya get up, making their way out of class with their bags in hand. She wanted to talk to Adrien, but even if he really was Chat Noir; she would still be a rambling mess in his un-masked form. She decides to wait till tonight when she and Chat go on their daily night scope for akumas. At least then, she will not be as tongue-tied. Nodding to herself about her plan. She spends the rest of the day thinking about how to question Chat till the final bell rings for the day.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, Fanatics!**

**Here's the new chapter! Hope everyone enjoys! I saw someone with the same fanfic idea as me. I wonder what their's is like? (insert thinking emoji). Anyways that's totally irrelevant, hope everyone had a good day. Comment anything, I accept all responses! **

**Ta Ta, Bugaboos! :)**

Marinette got done with her homework as quickly as possible when she got home. She was practically buzzing with nerves about tonight. Hopefully, she was worrying for nothing and she there wasn't going to be any akumas. Her parents were tossing her strange glances throughout the night. Though, it might have to do with being distracted so easily. Her thoughts were all over the place after all. It was almost eight o'clock and that's the time she meets up with Chat usually.

Rushing up to her room, she closes the trapdoor while saying goodnight at her parents. Tikki flies down from Marinette's bed, realizing it was her owner that came in.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Marinette?" Tikki asks worriedly while flying closer to Marinette.

She shakes her head, "I'm not sure. What I do know though is that if these doubts aren't smoothed over, I'm going to go insane."

Tikki lets out a sigh, "Okay. Do what you think is best, just be careful."

Marinette smiles reassuringly at her and a short glimpse of determination sparks in her eyes, "Tikki, spots on!"

She transforms and climbs up her latter, making her way up to the skylight above her bed. Standing on the balcony, she clasps her yo-yo and swings it at one of the buildings nearby. Taking off, she starts to search for her partner. It only took about fifteen minutes until she spotted him. She lands behind him on a rooftop and lets out an anxious breath. "You can do this." she mutters to herself in encouragement.

Chat seemed to notice her presence and turns around with a well-known smirk, "Hello m'lady."

She freezes and lets out a choked sound, "H-Hey Kitty." she stutters and plasters a fake smile.

"How are you tonight?" he asks and watches her move closer to him.

She shrugs, "Got a lot of stuff on my mind. How about you?"

"Amazing as always," he replies with a slight smile. "What kind of stuff?"

She looks into his eyes and begins her questionnaire on him. "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

He seemed dumbfounded, completely expecting her to say, 'We can't tell each other about personal stuff.', but it looked like he was wrong. "Uh yeah, if you want to." he replies albeit a bit confused. This was very un-Ladybug behavior.

She looks away for a moment, debating what she should ask. Letting out a frustrated sigh, "Well...I had this dream. It's been bothering me ever since." she looks up at him and he nods for her to continue. "Well, your kwami appeared in it and I was in my un-masked form..."

Chat blinks rapidly in surprise and confusion. "While that's quite odd. Though I don't quite understand why it's bothering you so."

She blushes slightly remembering what happened in the dream with Adrien. Though it was dark out so she doubts Chat could see it. "Um, remember the boy I told you about? The one I like?"

She watches how Chat tries to hold back a sour look and he nods slowly. "What about it?" he asks with an irritated frown and annoyed tone.

"He was in it too. Though I find it odd he was as our miraculous were out wandering in the open. He didn't even seem surprised!" she blathers with an escalating high-pitched voice.

The frown disappears and his face twists, beyond lost, "That doesn't make any sense though? Lady, it was only a dream."

"That's the thing! It felt so real, so vivid! It felt more like a memory I lost or something." she yells and begins to pace on the rooftop in distress.

Before she knew it, Chat grabbed her shoulders in concern, putting her to a stop, "Ladybug, I'm sure it was nothing. The dream doesn't even seem to make sense at all."

"I know, I know, trust me. But now I keep suspecting everyone I encounter and wonder if they're you!" she claims loudly while gesturing to him.

He stands there and stares at her for a moment, but then a laugh escapes from his mouth. He continues to laugh, "Oh, Lady. Now you know how I feel!" he exclaims while wiping his tearing up eyes from laughing so hard.

She huffs and crosses her arms while shaking off his, "This is serious Chat!"

"Right right. Sorry," he apologizes while calming himself down. "Wait, so that would mean you suspect the boy you like..." he drifts off in thought and a smirk appears. He leans forward and she moves away in panic.

"Um, yes? Wait! I mean n-n-n-no way!" she stutters in denial, trying to not make eye contact.

He continues to smirk, "Oh, here I thought I might not have a chance. The odds may be in my favor after all. Is he someone always near you?"

She shakes her head, not responding with an embarrassed blush. She takes a couple of steps back away from him. This was not how she planned the conversation.

"Aw, is someone embarrassed. Don't worry, Lady. You know you can tell me anything." he coaxes while putting his hand's on his hips, smirk forever permanent.

"Chat! You already know I can't say." she refuses while staring at him again.

He sighs, "Look Ladybug if I really am the guy you like...maybe you should ask him a question tomorrow? You never know, I could be him. It'd be a win-win situation." he suggests, quite happy with his plan.

She winces and frowns, "I would mix up my words and stutter like crazy if I even tried to say 'hi' to him. Plus, that would mean you'd only like me because I'm Ladybug, not me."

A guilty expression flits across his face for a mere second until he smiles softly. "Surely the way you act now wouldn't change. I would like you all the same." he reassures.

Shifting her feet anxiously, she looks down with her bangs covering her eyes, "Chat...I'm not the same person in my un-masked form. I'm clumsy and shy, the total opposite of Ladybug."

She wanted to cry at this revelation, but before she could so much drop a tear; she felt arms wrap around her and she let out a surprised gasp. "You're still the same person, Lady. Nothing could change that, and neither would my feelings. Sure, I may be shocked, but I'd be so happy the girl of my dreams could be really mine."

She blushes intensely underneath her mask and felt a small smile find its way onto her lips. She hugs back, "What if it isn't you, Chat? I don't want to hurt your feelings more than I already have."

She could feel him grasp her suit tightly for a minute but lets out a sigh while letting go of her. "The main thing I want is for you to be happy. I don't want to come between that so don't worry about it." he explains with a bitter-like smile.

"You're the best partner and friend I could ask for Chat." she says with a big smile, resting her hands on her hips.

He tosses her an identical grin, "Same back."

Though before she suggests they should look around for any civilians who need their assistance; another question popped into her mind. "Chat, I'm not sure about this. We should keep our identities concealed; it could be dangerous knowing each other's." she pipes up in concern.

"While that may be true, I know we will fix it if anything happens. M'lady, I'll leave it to you to decide whether to ask that boy of yours. No pressure." he comments while gazing over Paris.

Frowning, she lets out a sigh, "Okay. Thanks, Chat, for being here regardless."

He nods, "Of course. Maybe you'll have another dream tonight?" he wonders out loud.

She tilts her head at the thought, "Maybe. Though I kind of hope not. I don't want any more confusion or suspicion." she claims with a groan.

"I don't blame you. Shall we start saving the nightlife of Paris?" he suggests while taking his silver baton out.

She nods in response and takes out her yo-yo. They take off searching the city for any dangers or anyone who needs their help. Not finding much around, they split after two hours of finding small cases. Heading home, she leaps onto her balcony and de-transforms.

Tikki floats out of the earrings and looks at Marinette curiously. "So, how did it go?" she asks while floating next to her as Marinette opens the skylight dropping onto her bed.

She glances at Tikki while letting out a frustrated groan, "Horrible. Not in the way I planned at all. I think I ended up leading Chat on."

Tikki shakes her head with a small giggle, "I told you to speak carefully. What did he say?"

Marinette flops backward onto her pillow, "He told me to ask the guy I like something and see if he's Chat or not."

"You told him Adrien was in the dream?!" Tikki asks with a mortified gasp.

"What!? No! I just said that it's someone I like, no name or anything." she shouts and denies, waving her hands around in panic.

Tikki sighs in relief, "Good. So, are you going to straight out ask him if he's Chat or not?"

She shakes her head, "No because if he's not then he's going to think somethings wrong with me. Plus, I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to hold a conversation like that without messing up or revealing something."

Tikki floats in silence for a moment, "This is a mess." she confirms also feeling a bit frustrated.

"Tell me about it." she cries and grabs a pillow, screaming her frustrations into it. "What do you think I should do?" she asks Tikki while moving the pillow away and makes her way off her bed, down the latter.

Tikki follows her while holding a hand to her chin in thought, "Hmm. I'm not exactly sure, Marinette. We should wait a couple of days to wrap our thoughts together on this one."

"I agree," Marinette says and grabs some pajamas out of her drawer. She quickly changes and gets ready for bed. "I hope I don't have another dream like that again." she comments while walking out of the bathroom later.

Tikki was already laying on her bed, asleep. Marinette smiles and crawls over, wrapping the covers around them and lays down. She was mentally and emotionally exhausted. Who knew how much trouble that kitty could cause? She's not sure she wants Chat to be Adrien. This all felt so rushed, she should have thought this more thoroughly. Sighing for the hundredth time today, she turns off her light and snuggles into the blankets. Thinking about Adrien and Chat until she fell into a deep slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Guys,**

**Here's the new chapter! :) Hope everyone likes the fanfic so far. You might hate me for dragging these memories scenes out slowly LOL. Anyways, enjoy this chapter guys. Feel free to comment and the like. I promise the next chapter to be more juicy. XD**

**Adios,**

**Miraculers!**

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

"..._no handles!" Marinette exclaims while staring outside through a tinted window. Her palms were pressed against it, trying to push it open somehow. She was so high up; it almost made her stomach twist. "The glass is tinted," she explains while turning around. "They won't be able to see us."_

_From afar, Adrien stands next to an office desk and his mouth agape slightly in shock. She watches him run closer to another desk near her. He grabs the desk phone and pulls it up to his ear. He tries to push in some numbers, but no sound came through it. "The phone lines are down." he announces to her in disbelief. _

_He sets the phone down and walks over to her and she meets him halfway in a slow jog. He pulls out his cellphone and looks down at it. "If only I could remember how to unlock my phone." Adrien adds, trying to figure out his lock combination. _

"_Wait!" Marinette exclaims and grabs the phone out of his hands. Smiling slightly, she blows on his phone and shows it to him afterward. It shows the ghost of his fingertips from using the combo before. _

"_Nice work, Marinette," he observes and tosses her an appreciated grin while grabbing his phone out of her hands. She continues to watch him as he maneuvers his finger over the combination marks and unlocks it with a big smile. "Uh oh," he mutters with a frown now, staring his phone. "But, who should we call?"_

_She was looking at hers now and did the same trick she did with Adrien's phone onto hers. She unlocks her phone as well, "I'm almost out of battery." she comments in worry and looks over at Adrien with a concerned frown. _

_He glances down at his, "Me too," he confirms with a matching frown. "We should call our parents first," he suggests while clicking on the contact app on the phone. He scrolls through the contacts until he finds, "Gabriel Agreste," he reads out loud. "Probably my dad?" he asks questionably, a hint of a small smile appears on his lips._

_She watches when he clicks on the call icon and they both wait for his dad to pick up. Though, it went straight to voice mail. Adrien stares at his phone a bit disappointed. "Let hope you've got better luck than me." he points out and turns to look at her now._

_Marinette starts going through her contacts and saying each last name until she finds Dupain-Cheng. Clicking on the call icon, she holds the cellphone up to her ear. Her mother's voice appears within two rings, "Marinette! Are you okay?! They're saying on t.v that Ladybug and Chat Noir are battling a supervillain at the tower," her mom rambles on the phone._

_She notices a poster in front of her and walks toward it with her mouth agape in surprise. The poster was of Ladybug and Chat Noir in an anime series. "...Isn't that where you were going for your school trip today?" her mom asks in concern._

_She stares at the poster dumbfounded, "Ladybug and Chat Noir..." she mutters in thought. _

OOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Marinette opens her eyes slowly with a yawn as her alarm beeps. She shuts it off and rolls onto her side, still tired. Looks like these dreams were going to become more frequent she thought sarcastically. These were missing memories for sure. They had to be; dreams do not continue with the same plot over again. It does not seem that this memory relayed much information for her to use at all. Besides that, it was only her and Adrien in the building. Her mom even mentioned how Ladybug and Chat Noir was there.

Maybe Adrien was with her when they were inside? Perhaps they could not escape in time? Though, this still does not explain why Chat's kwami was there. She groans in irritation; she was correct on one thing though. This only produced more questions. When did she ever lose her memory? The only incident she could think of is when she and Chat were defeating Obilvio.

Both could not figure out how they got back on that rooftop and somehow managed to kiss. Alya and Nino said they did not remember anything they did either. She updated herself by watching the news that night after defeating Oblivio, but the information was quite vague. It was all so strange and complicated. Was Adrien her partner or not?

"Marinette?" her kwami sleepily mumbles next to her and interjects her thoughts.

She looks at Tikki and smiles, "Morning, Tikki."

Tikki smiles back and lets out a tiny yawn, "Did you have another dream?"

She frowns and nods, "Unfortunately."

"Any new clues?"

"Besides the fact that Adrien and I were still stuck in the building. No, not really. I already know from watching the new that so were Chat and Ladybug." she explains.

"Hopefully we get to the bottom of this quick." Tikki informs with a nod.

She nods back in agreement and climbs down her latter. She did not feel like going to school today, but like most students, she had no choice.

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

By the time she arrives at school, she realized she was early for once. She takes a deep breath before stepping into class and only Juleka and Rose were inside. She waved at them with a smile and they did so back. Sitting down, she pulls out her design notebook. Doodling, she ends up drawing a quick stretch of Chat by accident. Her thoughts were so focused on him, she unintentionally drew him.

She frowns at the drawing and re-traces his outline. Is it really Adrien? It is so hard to believe, that the boy of her dreams could be him. Though, it would be so embarrassing if it was. He would never stop teasing her about it, she could see it now. She smacks her forehead trying to erase the image out of her head. Would she be disappointed if it was not him? She would feel so bad for Chat.

The last thing she ever wants to do is hurt her partner. Gripping her pencil, she shades in the mask in and traces his lips again.

Suddenly, a shadow was cast over her notebook. "Wow, that's a great drawing Marinette!" she hears someone exclaim in front of her.

Looking up in panic from being caught, she blushes brightly seeing it was none other than Adrien. He was smiling down at her and the drawing, "U-Uh thanks." she stutters in embarrassment, trying to crawl inside herself and hide.

"Do you like Chat Noir?" he asks in wonder while gazing at the drawing.

She internally freaks, does she ask or not? She shifts in her chair nervously, "A-Ah, I mean yeah! Who doesn't? Y-You're so cool, no I mean, he's!" she gushes and stutters while waving her hands like crazy.

He stares at her confusion at her antics, but a laugh escapes him. "Yeah. I agree. What do you like about him?" he asks curiously.

She stares at him, frozen in her spot. His eyes were so pretty, she drifts off getting lost in them with a dreamy smile. His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion when she does not respond. He waves a hand in front of him and that gets her attention back, "U-Um, he's a g-good fighter?" she claims, though it sounds more like a question if anything.

He blinks in surprise at her answer, "Well, that is true. I think he's a pretty good guy." he comments his own opinion.

Gaining some courage, she leans forward slightly, "Yeah, I really wonder who he is underneath that mask." she asks in suspicion and watches for his reaction with a close eye.

He seems stunned by what she mentioned. Though, she watches a second later as his lips form into a Chat-like smirk. "Who knows. He could be anyone." he shrugs with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

Her eyes widen in suppressed shock on how he reacted. Quickly, she plays it out with a small chuckle, more like anxious in her opinion. "True," she responds, her mouth drawn in a slight frown.

He smiles at her again and turns around as more students file into the class slowly. She feels herself un-tense, not realizing she was in the first place. She stares at the back of Adrien's head, thoughts jumping back and forth in her head. What was that? She feels a blush settle on her cheeks and she looks down at her drawing of Chat.

Alya sits down next her with a wave. "Hey, girl."

Marinette shakes her head, a smile automatically appearing, "Hey, what's up?"

Her friend takes school materials out of her backpack, "Wanting to be home in my bed. Nothing new."

She giggles and voices out her agreement. The morning bell rings and the teacher strolls into the room already naming off what they were going to do today. Releasing a slow breath, she erases the mask off Chat's face. She could not help, but glance at Adrien again. Frowning, she could see the resemblance between the two. She scribbles out 'Chat' at the top of the page and replaces it with 'Adrien?'.

Wanting nothing more than to toss this notebook at him. She was tired of these endless questions with no answer without sounding crazy. She tries to take the notes the teacher distributes, but it was difficult. She gives up with a sigh and just stares off into the distance. Why was it so difficult for her to ask Adrien? That smirk, she would recognize it anywhere. Especially now that she really had her full attention on him.

Yet, she tries to deny all possible clues that direct themselves toward Adrien being Chat. She does not even understand why she is! She knows she was afraid, very afraid. What if Chat/Adrien does not like her like he said he would if he found out? Or it truly was not him and he would label her as a maniac?! She bites her fingernail nervously as these thoughts progress.

Marinette does not notice how Alya was throwing concerned glances at her friend the whole class period. When the bell rings for class to end for a break, Alya stands up and grabs her arm roughly, dragging her out of the class first thing. Everyone stared in bewilderment as they exit.

Alya drags them out into the hallway with a scowl, "Okay, you better tell me what's going on Marinette. You've been acting strange since yesterday!"

She watches as Alya crosses her arms sternly and she gulps nervously, "I-It's nothing really."

Her friend stares at her, not convinced in the slightest. "That's a lie if I've ever seen one. Seriously, tell me. Does it have to do with Adrien? You've been staring him down a lot."

She blushes at being caught and shakes her head in denial. "Yes and no. I've been having odd dreams lately is all." she confesses in half-truth.

Her friend raises her eyebrow and worry flashes through her eyes, "Nightmares?"

She decides to play along, knowing full well that she could not tell her truth. "Yeah, something like that. They've been on my mind constantly."

Alya frowns and relaxes her posture, "You should have said so sooner, girl. Are you alright? Want to talk about it?" she asks with a frown.

Shaking her head, "No it's alright. Don't worry about it. I'm sure they will go away soon." she tries to convince and sends her a reassuring smile.

Alya seems to debate to settle with that answer and gives in with a nod. "You know I'm here for you." she gives Marinette's shoulder a soft squeeze.

They smile at each other and walk back to class, both feeling better. What Marinette did not realize was that she left her notebook open and a certain blonde boy looked at it unconsciously once again. That when she entered again with her friend, that he kept glancing at Marinette for the rest of the day with suspecting eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

**Hey y'all!**

**Hope everyone's having a great day. I am surprised how many views this fanfic gets in what, two days since I last updated? Anyways, big news in the chapter! Wonder what will happen, hm? **

**Leave a follow/favorite if you really like this fanfic, it would be greatly appreciated. I love feedback and enjoy reading any comments so please leave those too! Have fun with this chapter y'all.**

**Peace out! 3**

_OoOoOoOoOoOo_

_Swinging her yo-yo around while holding a tea kettle, she stares down Obilvio waiting for them to attack her again. He begins to start firing blasts at her and she did a various amount of flips, trying to make an escape. She laughs in a bit __exuberance__, as she makes her way to a clear wall._

"_Super agility is super awesome!" she exclaims with a woot. She lands behind a tinted wall and Oblivio was on the other side. Oblivio continues to fire off their blasts, though quickly realize they could not do anything with her behind a wall. They jump up high and land on the top of the wall. __Ladybug assesses the situation and makes her way out of it by jumping off the edge of the building behind her. While falling, she tosses her yo-yo out with a squeak in panic and it wraps around a pole at the top of the building. Obilvio continues to fire at her as she swings from the string, and she yells becoming a bit scared when she comes to the top of the building again. _

_She runs when she makes it to the top and she was about to say something when her yo-yo string twists around her ankle when she tries throwing it. She lets out a yelp in surprise and horror as she falls, practically doing a backflip onto the ground and lands with a grunt in pain. _

_Obilvio starts to laugh near her and she looks at them in dread, "You've forgotten your reflexes, huh?" Oblivio taunts landing in front of her, creeping closer. "Now we're going to make sure you forget everything else. Including your miraculous!" Obivlio informs excitedly while readying their fingers on the gauntlet, getting ready to fire it off again._

_Thinking that her doom has approached, she was easily taken off guard when something hits Oblivio from behind. Oblivio looks over their shoulder, taking their attention off her. "Attacking a lady on the ground, did you forget your manners?" the person speaks from behind and she turns to look behind Oblivio. Only to find herself staring at someone covered in cardboard, cut-out like a cat. _

_He was holding a block of wood, like a sword. "Adr-" she covers her mouth quickly before she could spill the name in front of their enemy on accident. Oblivio begins to start directing his attention to Adrien, firing their blasts at him. _

_Adrien seems to do more blocking compared to fighting at the moment with various grunts of fright. Realizing this was the opportunity to get away, she stands up with her yo-yo at the ready. She flies herself up to the wall quickly and looks at Adrien as he runs away in fear, Obilvio getting closer to him. She swings her yo-yo toward him, and it wraps around his waist. She grunts as she pulls Adrien back towards her and wraps her arm around him as they jump down. _

_They hide behind a vent outside, taking shuttering deep breathes. Suddenly, Plagg appears out of nowhere, "Can I be of any help in any way?" the black cat kwami asks with his arms crossed._

"_Plagg?" Adrien asks in surprise._

"_Plagg, so that's my name?" the black cat kwami asks in excitement doing a flip in the air._

_Adrien does not waste any time, "Plagg, claws out!" Adrien shouts as Plagg gets sucked into his ring. Transforming into his leather-tight suit with his cat ears and mask. _

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Alya watches her friend in concern. Marinette fell asleep on her desk during their last class for the day. Her friend keeps mumbling out gibberish and she was wondering if Marinette was having a nightmare. Suddenly, her friend laughs out loud in her sleep and a sleepy smile appears on her face. Okay, obviously not a nightmare Alya thought in relief. Classmates near their spot turned to stare at Marinette in amusement. Even Adrien turned around with a raised eyebrow.

Alya shrugs with a smile and lets her friend sleep for a while. Though about twenty minutes later, her friend begins to breathe heavily, her eyebrows drawn into a scrunch. Worriedly, Alya shakes her friend's arm in worry. "Marinette?" she whispers quietly, trying to wake Marinette up.

Her friend only made a confused noise in response and shifts her head. Growing more concerned, she keeps repeating her friend's name. Eventually, Marinette's eyes fly open in shock and she feels herself choke on air and saliva. She coughs hard and some students gaze at her in semi-concern.

The teacher looks at Marinette, "Are you alright, Marinette? Perhaps you should go get some water." Miss. Bustier suggests.

Marinette only nods in agreement, still coughing. She stumbles her way down the steps and opens the door, exiting into the hall. She leans against the wall for a moment, trying to catch her breath. Thinking she may need water; she makes her way down the hallway to the water fountain. Arriving she takes a quick drink, feeling instantly better. Well, now she has an inkling of an idea of how she and Chat defeated Obilvio. Chat...Adrien...she stares at the wall in front of her in disbelief.

She felt so dumb; how could she have not noticed? She always wondered how Chat was where she was once an attack went off near her. She grips the water fountain, trying to digest the reveal. She wanted to deny all of it, but she knew she could not. Her arms were shaking, she realizes, and she feels movement in her purse. Tikki...she looks around and heads to the bathroom quickly. It was right next to the water fountain. No one else was in the restroom and she locks herself in a cubicle.

Tikki peeks up through the bag and flies up towards Marinette. "Mari, are you okay? I heard you coughing hard." Tikki asks in concern with a small frown.

Marinette does not know how to reply; she felt a bit numb and in a daze. She slowly shakes her head unsurely, staring at the door. "I found out who Chat is." she confesses.

Tikki's eyes widen in surprise, "What?! From the dream?!"

Marinette nods, "Yeah...It's Adrien."

Her knees felt weak and she wonders how she was holding herself up. Tikki stares at her in response, not looking all that surprised. Marinette looks at Tikki in disbelief, realizing she knew this whole time. "You knew, didn't you?" she asks with a soft, bitter smile.

Tikki looks down in shame, "Yes. But Marinette please don't be mad. I haven't known for too long. I was respecting your wishes of privacy." she gushes worriedly, scared Marinette might be mad at her.

She sighs in response, "I understand, Tikki. Thank you for being honest though." she cups her hands around Tikki's floating form and holds her; bringing her close to her cheek, nuzzling her with her own.

"What are you going to do now? Confront him?" Tikki asks as she sits in Marinette's hands.

Marinette lets out a groan, "I have no idea, Tikki. This is all so complicated. We're in love with each other, but he doesn't even realize I'm Ladybug."

Her kwami giggles slightly, "Like how you didn't realize?"

She frowns, "Very funny," she tickles her kwamis belly in retaliation which Tikki releases a bunch of giggles. "Maybe I should lead Adrien on into thinking I'm Ladybug?"

"Why not just tell him?" Tikki questions in bemusement.

She exits the cubicle and the kwami follows. "What do you want me to do? Walk up to him and be like, 'Oh, hey Adrien, guess what I'm Ladybug, the love of your life.' I'm sure that'll go over well." Marinette blabbers sarcastically. Tikki flies back into Marinette's purse, but her head still peeks out. She opens the restroom door that leads back into the hallway. Though someone was in front of it and she was about to move to the side when she looks up.

She freezes in her spot to find Adrien standing in front of her in surprise with wide eyes. His hand was formed into a fist, getting ready to knock on the door. She blinks in shock and feels anxiety course through her like a raging river. She begins to feel lightheaded and realizes she was not breathing.

She sucks in a fast breath and Adrien grins sheepishly at her, "O-Oh, Hey Marinette, I-I was coming to check up on you." he says, standing a bit straighter.

She gapes at him and takes a step back. Slamming the door, right in his face in pure terror. She presses her back against the door, trying to calm down her thumping heart. Internally freaking out, she hears Adrien call her name in confusion outside the door. "I-I'm fine. Thanks for c-checking up on me. Y-You can return to class." she stutters loudly, looking down at Tikki in panic.

She shrugs in response with a smile. "Now's your chance, Mari!" she whispers excitedly.

Marinette shakes her head, not wanting to open the door. "Are you sure?" Adrien asks through the door in curiosity and slight concern.

Where's an akuma attack when you need one? She gulps nervously and pushes the door open slightly. Adrien stands there with a slight frown when her head pokes out from the door. She turns her head in both directions, looking for anyone in the hall. Not seeing anyone, she grabs his arm and drags him into the restroom with her. She slams the door closed behind her and Adrien blinks in surprise.

"Um, what's going on, Marinette?" he asks in confusion and more concern swimming in the depths of his eyes. Chat Noir's eyes, she repeats to herself. She circles around him while biting her lip nervously. Not that she has not admired his body before, but Chat's body build was very muscular. She could not decipher much with his clothes on. He watches her in a bit of apprehension as she gazes at his figure.

Coming in front of him again, she grabs his cheeks and squishes his face, "Uh, Marinette?"

She eyes him critically and let's go after a minute of inspecting with a disbelieving sigh, "Adrien, we need to talk."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:**

**Hey guys! **

**Omg this chapter is going to kill some of you and I feel personally wounded myself. My heart aches because of this and I hope everyone feels the way I did about it. Anyways, thanks for the support guys! Please give me feedback about this chapter, I want to know everyone's thoughts or reactions. Don't forget to leave a follow/fav if you haven't already and enjoy this fanfic.**

**See you soon!**

**OoOoOoOoOo**

Marinette stares Adrien down with conflicting thoughts about how to start this conversation. She knows in the past; she has said that their secret identities needed to remain hidden from each other. But everything was different now. Her crush was Chat Noir and it was the most unexpected thing she has ever come across. She remembers when Chat asked her once if she did not have a love interest before him if he would be instead.

She remembers hesitating with that answer and ended up flying away like a coward. Though the answer was concealed on the tip of her tongue. She did not want to lead Chat on at that moment because she also had her own doubts. So, here she was, about to break her own rules on superhero identities.

Adrien, has his eyebrows scrunched together in confusion while staring at her, "About what?"

She bites her lip nervously and squirms in her spot, "U-Um, well, it's important," she hints and glancing up at him.

His face becomes serious and he nods for her to continue. She begins to panic internally, and she feels a bit lightheaded again. Clearing her throat, "I-I, uh," she stutters while trying to gather her scattering thoughts. What was she asking again? She asks herself a bit distractingly. "I-I, I like you!" she blurts out and freezes in her spot the moment she does.

Wait, no, wrong thing Marinette! You were supposed to ask him about being Chat Noir! A blush blooms across her cheeks making her look like a cherry. Adrien's face morphs into a look of shock and his eyes widen in disbelief, "O-Oh? Um..." he drifts off, not sure what to say.

She swears she saw him blush slightly and watches as he scratches behind his neck anxiously. She could not move a muscle and the urge to hide increases. She stares at the floor in disbelief and nervousness. She really was an idiot, wasn't she? Her hands unconsciously form into fists, waiting for him to say something.

"Marinette," he utters her name softly. She still does not look up, "Look, you're a really nice girl and I consider you a good friend. It's just, there's someone else I like. I'm sorry..." he trails off and apologizes at the same time.

Her heart cracks slightly, though she knows who it is. It's her practically but was he really this blind? She even left hints as Ladybug that she suspects the guy she likes. She feels hands clamp down on her shoulders and that causes her to look up briefly. He gazes at her sincerely with a frown. Her bottom lip wobbles slightly and she takes a slow breath, "Who is it?" she asks, her voice cracking emotionally.

Even if she already knows, she could not help the question. This was Marinette he was talking to and he never had the same feelings as her. Would he if she told him about her real identity? Though for some reason, this circumstance is so unsettling. Doubt and pain laced together, cornering her every hope in her thoughts. No matter what Chat Noir said a night ago, she was scared he was going to regret her.

He looks surprised that she even wants to know. "I-I can't really say." he confesses guiltily with his own wince.

Did he not trust her that much? To not even express his feelings to his _friend_? She gulps and nods slowly, "S-Sorry, I made this awkward. I-I better go." she mumbles, moving out of Adrien's grip. She moves around him and opens the door, leaving him there. Her heart and brain felt like a crumbling mess, trying to piece it together were too much to handle at once.

If Adrien only saw her as a friend, his feelings may change if he found out she was Marinette. Then he would feel guilty from this encounter. She was so scared, that she had to walk away. This was idiotic in the first place. She felt Tikki scooting around in her purse and she glances down at her. Her kwami was looking at her in pity and mouthed a 'sorry'.

She flashes a tiny smile at her friend and clasps her purse back together. She was surprised she has not cried a river yet. Perhaps she was still in shock? Her heart hurt immensely like someone took a needle to it. Her eyes prick with tears, but she holds them back. There was still half a school day left and that made her want to leave more than ever.

Not sure how long she's been gone; she opens the classroom door when she arrived there. Everyone peers her way for a second and she looks down to avoid their gazes. She moves to her seat and slinks down into it slowly. She felt like she was floating, and everything was in slow-mo. She was taken out of her thoughts by Nino, "Hey, where's Adrien?" he asks curiously.

She flinches at his name and he notices, so does Alya who was staring at her friend in concern again. "N-Never saw him." she lies.

Nino nods reluctantly and turns back around to face the front of the room. Alya scoots closer to her friend, noticing her dark mood. "Girl, what is going on?" she asks, worried about her.

Marinette shakes her head, not in the mood to talk. Alya frowns disapprovingly, "You're going to tell me at the end of school, no matter what you say." she whispers in annoyance while turning her attention back to the board.

She folds her arms on the desk and buries her head in them. The door opens a moment later, but she did not have to look to know who it was. She felt him staring at her, it almost burns with the intensity. She refuses to glance up at him and hides further into her arms. She ruined everything; she thinks pathetically.

Chat, Adrien, why couldn't you just fall for my unmasked form? She wonders sadly and sniffles a little at the thought. She thought about all the times Chat would flirt with her, tell her that she was the girl of his dreams. That was all for Ladybug, not Marinette. He was so dense, he wouldn't even budge when she told him she loved another. He kept trying though, never giving up.

A depleted sigh escapes past her lips and she peers up briefly to look at the clock. It was almost lunchtime, but she was not hungry. She lifts her arm up and holds her head on her hand. She looks down at her notebook and saw the Chat drawing staring back her innocently. Grabbing her pencil, she traces the mask back onto his face. It was best to keep it hidden. Yet, she wanted to reveal her true self badly.

That way, Adrien would accept her, but that sounded like she was craving his attention. She groans and tugs at her bangs roughly. She messed it up; she knows she did. Her stupid mouth had to spit that out at the wrong time. She's been trying to tell Adrien for a while, but out of all times in her life, it happened to be today. The bell rings, signaling lunchtime has begun. She packs up her school stuff and Alya sat staring at her, waiting.

Looks like she wasn't going to escape any time soon. She puts her stuff away painfully slow, trying to drag the time out before she got berated with questions. Feeling someone staring suddenly, she looks up to find out who was. Only to find Adrien staring at her, biting his lip nervously. He looked like he was about to say something but stops himself and turns around.

Marinette watches him walk out of the room with a frown. "Um, what was that?" she hears Alya speak up behind her.

She puts her backpack on and walks to meet Alya by the door. They walk down the hall together, "It was nothing." she lies, though her face probably said differently.

"You're a terrible liar. What's going on?" Alya scoffs while semi-glaring with suspicion.

She ignores the question briefly as Alya waits for a response, "Can we talk about it at my place after school, please?" she asks pleadingly as tears prick her eyes again.

Alya seems a bit surprised, but nods determinedly, "Of course, girl. Whatever makes you comfortable."

The conversation ends there, but Alya keeps casting side long glances full of concern at her. They make their way into the locker room nearby. Going to her locker, she opens it and crams whatever she needs into her bag. Suddenly, the room lights up and she shrieks in fear when loud rumbles surround them. Looking out the window, it starts to storm outside. Great, she thinks sarcastically. Now the rain can represent what she cannot do.

Glowering, she grabs an all too familiar black umbrella from her locker. She fixates on it, trying not to think how convenient the circumstances were. A soft smile appears on her face and she brushes her fingers across the handle. Adrien's umbrella, the moment I fell head over heels for him. Almost literally too, she giggles at that thought and shuts the locker. Umbrella clasped in her hand; she waves to Alya on her way out.

She travels to the front entrance of the school and stands underneath the cement awning for a moment. She pops the umbrella open and it gratefully did not close over her again. She looks to the right and saw Adrien standing there. Waiting for his car, probably she assumes. His eyes were a bit downcast, looking at the ground with a slight frown. Feeling bad, she taps on his shoulder quickly. He turns around and surprise filters through his face.

"Marinette?" he greets cautiously.

She smiles sadly at him, "I'm sorry, Adrien," she holds the umbrella out to him. "Here."

He does not grab it and a flash of lightning goes off, surrounding them. The rain continues to pelt down vigorously, as the needles begin to stab her heart again. He shakes his head and wraps his hand around hers, "No, it's yours. You need it more than I do." he argues in denial, tossing her a small smile.

Her heart stutters and she winces, pushing the umbrella forcibly into his hands, "No, really I insist."

He was about to argue back, but she shushes him with a small wistful smile, "Goodbye, Adrien." she tells him, and her feet tug her into the rain. She immediately becomes drenched and shivers from it soaking coldly onto her skin. The tears slowly making their way onto her face. The rainwater blending into her salt-soaked ones. She cries while walking away, her feet like lead with every step.

The rain smacks against her and wind begins to pick up. Her bangs hang loosely in front of her eyes while she walks away pain and regrets etched into every step. Though, the rain stops hitting her suddenly and she looks up in confusion to only see black. Turning around in small alarm, she comes face to face with Adrien again. She was about to yell at him, but he smiles softly at her.

Taken off guard, she stops with her mouth agape in increasing confusion. "What-" she begins to ask but was interrupted.

"Bugaboo, you really are an idiot sometimes." he smiles warmly at her and brushes her bangs out of her eyes. He rests his fingertips on her cheek and her eyes widen with the gesture. Just for a moment, does the rain feel like it stops and the world around her.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:**

**Welcome back! **

**Thanks for commenting on the last chapter y'all. You had me cackling evilly over here. I bet you're all curious as to how Adrien found out in the first place. If you guys have any questions about the fanfic, please ask. I'll answer them next time I post a new chapter. Anyways, thanks for reading guys~ Follow/Favorite and comment, please and thank you. Enjoy this chapter! :)**

OoOoOoOoO

Adrien watches as Marinette walks away from him, into the rain. He feels guilty and for whatever reason, sad. He never knew her feelings for him. He was blinded, truly. It was a bit of shocker at first when she proclaimed her love to him earlier. Though deep down, he felt like he already knew and did not mind at first. But then Ladybug's face popped into his vision and he knew that he was going to have to deny Marinette's feelings.

Even if it tore him apart on the inside a little. So, now here he stands with the umbrella that belongs to Marinette in his hand. He was still waiting for his bodyguard, apparently, he was running late; it was pretty rare that he is. Sighing dejectedly, he watches the rainfall with conflicting thoughts. Though, he was brought out of it when something pokes his side. Blinking in confusion, he wonders if Plagg did that intentionally.

He feels another poke and opens his jacket to the side. Most of the students were gone already, so no one would question why he was talking to his shirt hopefully. Plagg floats out slightly with a small smirk. A tiny red thing in the corner of his vision darts away before he could even question it.

"You know you just crushed your chances with Ladybug, right?" Plagg informs while folding his arms behind his neck nonchalantly.

Adrien frowns in confusion while his eyebrows dip in sync, "What are you talking about?"

"If I remember you telling me correctly, Ladybug mentioned how she suspects the boy she likes." Plagg chimes.

"What about it?"

The kwami continues as small smirk grows with every word, "You also said, that she would ask you something."

Adrien nods agreeing that he said that before, "Yes. Though I don't recall anyone asking me anything Ladybug or Chat Noir related."

Plagg sighs and shakes his head, "What about the drawing Marinette drew of Chat Noir? She seemed to be distracted lately too." he mentions, trying to convince Adrien.

His eyebrows raise in disbelief, "Are you hinting that Marinette may be Ladybug?"

"I'm not really hinting. More like stating." Plagg says while flicking his gaze over to Marinette who was walking painfully slow.

"B-But that's impossible. Right?" he ends up questioning himself out loud. "S-She's my friend..." he trails off in thought. All those times, she was always near him. Would he have noticed it? How would he know? His questions become endless quickly, making his head hurt. He was starting to connect the dots and many of them made sense.

"H-How do you know for sure?" Adrien asks his kwami, overwhelming doubt and shock at his revelations.

"Her kwami told me, a couple of seconds ago. Plus, she bribed me with cheese." Plagg admits and licks his lips at the thought of his favorite cheese.

Adrien stares after Marinette's retreating figure in astonishment. The woman of his dreams just confessed to him and he denied her. Oh no, she must be so hurt. Biting his lip guiltily, he looks back his kwami, "W-What should I do?"

His kwami smirks back at him, "What would a guy do when he hurts his lover? Go after her and apologize." he encourages. "Or else, you're going to miss your chance." Plagg finishes seriously.

That's all it took for Adrien to rush after Ladybug, his classmate and friend Marinette. A smile stretches across his lips in excitement. Any previous thoughts of guilt being erased for a moment. He found her, his Ladybug; and she liked him, maybe even loved him.

The rain hits the umbrella and his heart follows the pattern of the drops hitting it, practically in sync. It did not take long for him to catch up to her and he holds the umbrella over her head. He was containing a huge smile and was buzzing with nervousness and thrill. She glances upwards at the umbrella and turns around quickly.

He watches as her mouth drops into an o-shape when she sees him. "What-" she starts to ask, but he interjects.

"Bugaboo, you really are an idiot sometimes." he mutters. He could not keep the smile from appearing on his lips as he brushes his fingertips against her cheek lovingly.

OoOoOoOoOo

Marinette stands there for a couple of minutes; staring at him, not sure to make of what he just said to her. "W-What did you just say?" she asks eventually while in a daze.

His hand drops from her cheek, "Basically what you should have said you were Ladybug." he proclaims thoughtfully.

Her blue-bell eyes widen still processing what was happening, "Y-You knew?" she asks hesitantly and curiously. Though a bit angry he knew even when she confessed and still denied her earlier.

He shakes his head, "No, my kwami had to point it out to me. I don't know why he didn't tell me sooner." he hisses a bit annoyed while glaring briefly at his shirt.

"O-Oh?" she breathes out, the building anger receding quickly. "And what do you think?" she asks nervously while playing with her fingers.

He looks at her intensely and another smile appears, although this one larger than she has ever seen on him. It made her blush before she realizes it. "What do I think?" he repeats. Stepping a bit closer to her, "I think this is a dream come true." he whispers.

Her blush continues to grow, and her eyes grow full of wonder and hope, "R-Really? You're not upset I'm Ladybug?" she asks in astonishment.

"Why would I be? Marinette you're a wonderful person and I cherished you as a friend. I could not be gladder!" he exclaims his beautiful green eyes shining with happiness.

She raises her hand to her mouth to cover her giggle at his confession, "So you're happy I'm your friend or the 'girl of your dreams'?" she asks teasingly.

He blushes lightly when she mentions his Chat comment, "Um, both?" he asks unsure about the question. A bit embarrassed, he adverts his eyes away from hers.

"Oh, Kitty, what to do with you?" she asks rhetorically in a joking manner. She lifts her hand to his head and ruffles his hair.

She watches as a more prominent blush makes its way onto his cheeks as she does so. "M-Marinette, I-" he begins to speak but gets cut off. A car horn was blaring all of a sudden and she peers over Adrien's shoulder to see a silver car pull up. She removes her hand and frowns a bit sad he must leave.

"Looks like your rides here." she comments, looking back over to him.

He pouts slightly, having to leave so soon. "I don't want to go." he states and grabs her hand, curling his fingers around it.

She gasps silently when he grabs it, "We'll see each other after lunch." she mentions. "It won't even be that long."

He smiles in response and nods, "It'll feel like an eternity..." he mumbles and pulls their cupped hands up to his lips, giving her hand a peck. "Here. You have to walk home." he hands her the umbrella while unclasping their hands.

He immediately gets soaked once he was out of the umbrella's protection. She watches him steadily walk to his ride, all the while staring back into his eyes which were trained onto hers. He opens the side door with a lopsided smile and waves in goodbye. She waves back with a giant grin and an obvious blush on her face. She watches as his car takes off and begins to track her way home. With a skip in her step, not caring as the water soaks her shoes from the puddles.

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Once she arrived home, she ate her lunch that her mom cooked for her and changed out of her soaking wet clothing. Her mom was a bit confused that she was wet in the first place due to showing up home with an umbrella in hand; she didn't question it though. Her mom also asked why she was in such a chipper mood. She ended up lying because she didn't want to tell her mom yet. It's not like she and Adrien were dating or anything. Right? Though now that she thought about it; they both practically exclaimed their feelings for each other already. But they did not confirm that they were dating?

A bit stumped, she walks out the bakery's front door to head back to school. It stopped pouring outside thankfully. The thought of seeing Adrien, Chat again fills her stomach with butterflies. The way he was smiling at her earlier made her heart melt almost. Smiling like an idiot, she avoids puddles on the way back. It did not take long to arrive back, and she wants to run back so bad. Steeling her nerves, she marches her way into the school.

Making her way up to the staircase, she finds Alya walking with Nino to their classroom. She takes a deep breath and walks up to them. Their backs were turned towards her and she joins Alya's side with a small smile.

"Hey!" Marinette greets the duo warmly.

Alya stares at her friend a bit curious, "Hey? You seem to be feeling better." Alya comments.

Marinette nods quickly while her smile changes to a loopy grin, "Yep!"

Alya smiles back, glad to see that her friend was in a better mood. "Good. I hope you know we're still going to talk about what happened and don't try to talk me out of it." Alya chides.

Marinette frowns at the news, not looking forward to being questioned so she sulks internally. It did not take long for them to arrive at the classroom. She hesitates outside the door, though Alya and Nino did not notice and continue to walk inside. She blushes at the thought of seeing Adrien again and peers her head inside. He was not in his seat like she thought he might be. She releases a breath she did not know she was holding.

The feeling of butterflies' jitter in her stomach again wondering when he was coming back. Before she could detach herself against the wall, a voice sounds behind her, "Looking for someone?"

She gasps at being caught and spins around, knowing who it was already. "U-Uh, well, you see," she starts to make an excuse while staring at the cute blond boy who was smirking. "Yes..." she pouts, not being able to formulate any sentences.

Adrien chuckles deeply, "Don't tell me you're _afraid." _he taunts playfully, trying to rile his partner and love-interest up.

She scoffs in denial. "Pah! Me? Afraid? Never." she sputters, trying to convince him that she was not. But who was she kidding? She knew deep down she really was.

He shakes his head with a short laugh, "That's not what your shrieks say when we're fighting." he snorts, goading her on.

Her mouth drops open in incredulity, "Oh please," she drawls out sarcastically. "You're the one who likes to hide behind my back." she retaliates back teasingly while poking his chest.

He smirks and grabs her hand, "Would you be afraid if we went inside holding hands then?" he challenges with a devious smirk.

A blush stains her cheeks not soon after, "N-No..." she admits shyly. She shifts her feet nervously and she knows that was a lie. The idea of even entering the room like that sent her into a frenzy of emotions and thoughts.

He does not say anything back and tugs her hand as he walks past her with a triumphant smirk. She yelps, being dragged behind him and tries to untangle their hands desperately. Everything was going too fast she feels. Oh, Marinette, what did you get yourself into now?


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:**

**Hey hey! Here's the new chapter, it's like a tiny bit longer than the others if that makes anyone happy. Yooo, so I watched for the French Dub for Silencer for the new episode (not understanding anything in it) but holy crap. This girls feelings are splitting into spiderwebs for these ships man. All I want for Marinette is to be happy with whoever she ends up being with. I ship it all, no hate alright guys! Anyways, hope you y'all enjoy this chapter. Leave a follow or comment, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!**

**Bye!**

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The last thing Marinette would have thought of happening that day was to walk into the class behind Adrien holding his hand. He seems to enjoy the torture he's putting her through. Knowing Adrien, he probably found this humorous. He has been smirking the moment we went into the classroom. She gave up trying to untangle their hands in the short amount of time with a giant sigh. She anticipates the moment she walks in with him, that many would be surprised.

She was right of course; evidence shows as many mini-gasps sounds throughout the room. It did not take much to know she was blushing bright red, looking up shyly occasionally. Next thing she hears is a sudden ear-piercing shriek. Everyone winces at the sound from it being so high. Marinette knew before they walked in, that a particular someone would overreact.

Glancing over in Chloe's direction, she spots her with a furious expression spread across her face. She gulps nervously and she feels Adrien squeeze her hand reassuringly. "What?!" Chloe exclaims after the shriek.

Before Marinette could explain, Chloe continues her rant. "What is going on here?!"

She blushes again and she could feel it. Looking up at Adrien nervously, she could see a faint blush on his cheeks also. Adrien switches to a serious look but with a kind smile, "Well, Marinette and I," he tugs her up to his side with their joined hands and flashes her a quirky smile. "...are going out."

Another round of gasps goes around the room and she shuffles a bit closer to his side nervously. She did not exactly agree with this predicament. She wanted to wait a bit longer, so they could get to know each other better. Though, dating would be like getting to know each other, but a lot faster than Marinette anticipated at first.

She feels a heated stare smothering her and looks to the right. Alya was practically fuming in her seat. Flashing a nervous smile, she becomes scared of facing Alya. Knowing she was mad that she did not tell her about any of this development.

"No way! Utterly ridiculous! Adrikins you must be joking." Chloe testifies in disbelief and outrage.

Feeling a confidence boost, Marinette steps in front of Adrien. "Sorry, Chloe. It's true."

"I didn't ask you, I asked him!" Chloe exclaims and points at Adrien.

"Chloe, we're together now." he states again and let's go of Marinette's hand.

Miss. Bustier walks in before Chloe could retort again with another complaint. The teacher acts oblivious to the drama and smiles at her students in greeting. Marinette smiles shyly at Adrien before walking to her seat. He smiles back and takes his seat also next to Nino.

Sitting down, Alya immediately drags her to the side, "Girl say what now?!" she whisper-yells into her ear. "When did this happen!?"

Marinette blushes again and she has a feeling it was not going to be the last. "Um, yesterday? I think..." she drifts off a bit unsure.

"That explains all your weird behavior. Did you even have bad dreams?!" she asks in exasperation, not believing the situation Marinette has put herself in.

She winces but nods, "Yes, I really did have those. I'm sorry for not telling you about this sooner Alya. It just happened." she explains, feeling a bit guilty towards her friend while trying to convince herself this was real too.

Alya sighs in disbelief, "How did this even happen? We're you able to confess by yourself?"

She nods, "Yeah. Somehow. It was really jumbled though." she bashfully surmises while scratching her neck nervously for a minute.

"Wow. I'm really surprised. Proud even. Who knew Adrien had the same feelings for you?" Alya grins and crosses her arms against her chest.

Marinette looks down a bit in uncertainty, "Yeah..." she replies and afterward the teacher begins to start the lesson, ending their conversation.

She knows Adrien said that he was not disappointed about her being Ladybug. Yet, there's a little voice in her head that tells her, 'Marinette was never the one he liked.' The thought makes her squirm in seat slightly. He never liked her un-masked form like the way she does his. Sure, she never really thought twice about Chat's romantic acts to Ladybug. That's because she loves Adrien, there was no love for Chat Noir, not romantically anyway.

Though, if Adrien never gave her that umbrella that day, she was sure she would have fallen for Chat eventually. His personas were the complete opposite around her and vice versa. She really hopes this was not a mistake. She also hopes that Adrien does not just see her as only Ladybug. This could get complicated. All she must go on is hope and doubt.

It might be wise to talk to Adrien about these things before something they both regret happens. She lets out a tired sigh, and she looks around the classroom. Only to find Chloe's seething stare directed on her person. She gulps nervously and flashes her a quick awkward smile. Chloe practically sneers back, and Marinette decides it might be better to look elsewhere.

She switches her gaze to the Adrien for a split second. He was doodling on his notebook a tiny bit. Though, his demeanor was almost sparkling in happiness. She could feel it practically radiating off him. She giggles silently, this is probably one of the rare times she has ever seen him like this. Who knew them dating could make him like that? He has a giant smile on his face and was not paying attention to the lecture like herself.

He looks so adorable; she could not help but think with her own small smile. Deciding to pay attention to class, she takes a notebook and pencil out of her bag since she forgot to do so earlier. She hones in on the teacher's notes and somehow focuses on the task at hand. It feels good to write, takes her mind off any stressful thoughts.

Some time passes till the school bell rings in the near distance that it was the end of the day. Breaking her out of her concentrated zone, she rushes to put all the materials back in her bag. She hefts her backpack onto her back as she stands up. Stretching her arms out with a pop and a small yawn. Her bed was calling her for a nap far away. With a small sigh, she makes her way down the short number of steps.

Adrien was waiting for her apparently by his desk with the same smile stuck on his face. Didn't his cheeks hurt? She wonders to herself and smiles back him with a small chuckle.

"What's so funny?" he asks curiously and takes a place by her side as they walk out of the room.

She shakes her head amusedly, "Just you."

He quirks his eyebrow and smirks; resting his hands on the back of his head while walking leisurely, "Tell me something I don't know." he winks playfully.

She rolls her eyes at his Chat like behavior and pushes him slightly, "Very funny indeed." she taunts mockingly, her own smirk settling upon her lips.

When Marinette was not paying attention, he grabs her hand gently and she blushes at the action. Looking up at him in confusion and bewilderment, she finds a soft smile staring back at her. "This is really nice, you know?" he asks and gives her hand a squeeze.

A bit jolted about the question, she asks, "Being a couple or our knowledge about our identities?" She asks the last part in more of a whisper as there were still students filing around in the hallways.

He stops them for a moment with their hands, "Both. But here we are, acting like we usually do as Chat Noir and Ladybug. Though also like our un-masked forms. Don't you see, Marinette?" he mummers and asks truthfully quite softly to not be heard.

"See what?"

"That we're free. Not hiding behind whatever emotions, we had before each other. We are being ourselves with one another. That's something we never had in both forms. Just me and you, us." he rambles on with a growing blush, but Marinette could not help but be captured by his loving green-eyed gaze. Shimmering with such warmth, that it scares her almost. "We can be normal."

The feeling of butterflies increase ten-fold and she was sure her face was a cherry again. Why did she have doubts again? Whatever she was thinking about before seems to be gone. Every doubt crushed by the person before her. Her mouth drops ajar slightly in realization to the truth of his words. They have been acting more like each other in a sense when they are not around each other in both forms.

"...Marinette?" she hears him ask in front of her. How long has she been standing here? She watches him rub his neck nervously while looking at her shyly.

She smiles confidently and reaches out to hug him. Wrapping her arms around his torso and pulling him down slightly. She feels Adrien tense up in surprise and slowly relaxes in her hold. He wraps his arms around her waist and hugs her back. "I agree." she whispers into his ear and rests her head on his shoulder.

They slowly let go of each other with blushing red faces and matching idiotic grins. "You know I was having a lot of doubts the dating thing earlier." she admits randomly with a flinch.

"What why?" he asks in shock and wonder, his eyebrows quirk up in response.

"Well, I suppose because you never really liked Marinette, not the way I liked you anyways compared to Ladybug."

His eyes widen in shock and nods, "It's true. I did not like your un-masked form as much as Ladybug." he agrees. "But I think I did like you Marinette, way deep down. I did not want to admit it because I was too infatuated with Ladybug" he continues to explain.

"You're not just saying that?" she asks in semi-doubt with a small frown.

He shakes his head, "Nope. It's the truth. I guess you could say I've been double-blinded."

She giggles slightly at his remark and feels a bit better. "Well hopefully, we can continue to grow at this point." she suggests, her frown being replaced by another smile.

He smiles back with a nod, "But of course, anything for m'lady." he winks teasingly.

Before she could retort about him needing to stop with his Ladybug 'nicknames', someone shouts from down the hallway. "Adrien!" a girly angry shriek abrupt behind him.

They both freeze and know exactly who it is. Both groaning at each other, not wanting to deal with this again. Adrien turns around to welcome the voice, "Yes, Chloe?" he asks in a friendly manner.

"You can't be serious! You guys just can't be a couple!" she exclaims in denial marching her way up to them with Sabrina tagging along behind her.

Marinette crosses her arms defensively, "Chloe we already said we were though. I'm sorry, you're just going to have to accept it." she states in a claim and collective manner.

Adrien nods in agreement, "We like-" he gets cut off from Chloe, who decides to voice her opinion again.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Adrikins! I'll get Adrien back from you, Dupain-Cheng!" she claims pointing in anger at Marinette again and storms off with Sabrina.

She winces at the threat and sighs in frustration. She really did not want to deal with Chloe, but it looks like it was inevitable.

"Don't worry, Marinette. I'll take care of her and explain it, I don't care how many times till it gets through her head." he reassures with a frown, not really wanting to talk to Chloe in general when she has an attitude.

"You sure?" she asks hesitantly.

He nods and flashes her another smile, "I better get going. I got lessons to get to." he announces.

She pouts slightly, not really wanting to be away from him since they just got together. "Okay."

He smirks, "Are you sad?" he teases lightly, leaning down to her level.

"Me? Sad? Over what?" she asks obliviously with a non-convincing shrug.

He laughs and kisses her cheek lightly, feather-like almost. An automatic response was another blush making a home on her cheeks and she watches as he winks at her. "See you later tonight. Don't forget." he acknowledges while walking away from her with a wave and a giddy smile.

"...see ya." she calls out after him with her own wave, albeit a bit slower.

Marinette continues watching him until he was out of sight. In a daze of disbelief, she still stands there as students walk by giving her an odd look. She hears small giggling near her, and she looks around for the source. Looking down, she finds Tikki holding her flipper-like hand to her mouth with a grin. "You can breathe and move now." Tikki comments in amusement.

She shakes her head and gets out of her daze quickly. "Can you believe what just happened, Tikki? She whisper-shouts in astonishment.

"It seems your worries were for nothing." Tikki hints, still snickering.

"True-"

She gets interjected by someone calling her name this time and Tikki hides at the sudden presence. Looking ahead, she sees her friend walking toward her. "Marinette! Girl I've been waiting for you this whole time."

"What why?" she asks curiously.

Alya gives a dead-pan look, "Maybe because we were going to go to your house after school?"

"Oh. Yeah, I forgot," she admits bashfully, rubbing her head guiltily.

Alya shakes her head with an amused smile, "What am I going to do with you?" Alya asks rhetorically and in bewilderment.

"Love me?" Marinette suggests with a cute smile.

Alya stares at her for a hard-long minute but soon bursts into laughter. She could not keep in hers after her friend laughs loudly. They continue to do so as they walk towards the entrance and make their way back to her house.


End file.
